Article packaging machine

ABSTRACT

An automatic packaging machine for sanitary paper products such as rolls of toilet tissue, packs of paper napkins, towels, etc. The machine comprises an article feeding section, a bagsupporting magazine section, and a package sealing section. The feeding section includes a reciprocal device having a support surface for underlying a plurality of articles and pushing means for moving the articles or packs. The feeding device is shifted in one direction from beneath a selected quantity of articles or packs to displace the articles downwardly, and in a reverse direction to push the displaced articles or packs into a wrapper to form a package. Continued movement of the feeding device causes the package to be transferred to the sealing mechanism. A magazine section is provided for supporting an irregularly shaped stack of bags. The magazine includes hinged table sections which are automatically pivoted as the stack is raised. In this manner, the magazine compensates for uneven dimensional variations of the stack occurring during depletion thereof to maintain the uppermost bag generally horizontal. The sealing section includes a stop arm for orienting a package on a support plate and devices for tucking in and heat-sealing the end flap of the package. A reciprocating mechanism is provided for automatically shifting the support plate to enable an ejecting plunger to push the package from the support plate following the sealing operation.

United States Patent [191 Shaw 1 Apr. 15, 1975 1 1 ARTICLE PACKAGINGMACHINE [75] Inventor: Jesse B. Shaw, East Paterson, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Marcal Paper Mills, Inc., East Paterson, NJ.

[22] Filed: May 19, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 254,989

Primary ExaminerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Douglas D. WattsAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis [57] ABSTRACT Anautomatic packaging machine for sanitary paper products such as rolls oftoilet tissue, packs of paper napkins, towels, etc. The machinecomprises an article feeding section, a bag-supporting magazine section,and a package sealing section. The feeding section includes a reciprocaldevice having a support surface for underlying a plurality of articlesand pushing means for moving the articles or packs. The feeding deviceis shifted in one direction from beneath a selected quantity of articlesor packs to displace the articles downwardly, and in a reverse directionto push the displaced articles or packs into a wrapper to form apackage. Continued movement of the feeding device causes the package tobe transferred to the sealing mechanism.

A magazine section is provided for supporting an irregularly shapedstack of bags. The magazine includes hinged table sections which areautomatically pivoted as the stack is raised. In this manner, themagazine compensates for uneven dimensional variations of the stackoccurring during depletion thereof to maintain the uppermost baggenerally horizontal.

The sealing section includes a stop arm for orienting a package on asupport plate and devices for tucking in and heat-sealing the end flapof the package. A reciprocating mechanism is provided for automaticallyshifting the support plate to enable an ejecting plunger to push thepackage from the support plate following the sealing operation.

11 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 5 I975 FIG] SHEET 1 BF 9PHEN'IEEAPR I 51975 sum 2 m 9 PATENTEU 1 5|975 3.877. 562

SHEEHOfQ FIGB FIG]

PATENIEDAPR I 51975 3.877. 562- PATENTEDAPR 1 51915 3.877. 562

saw 8 0f 9 FIGI? 4 ARTICLE PACKAGING MACHINE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to improvements in Article Packaging Machinesand. more particularly. to devices for inserting articles into wrappersor bags to form packages and subsequently sealing the packages. all byautomatic operation. 1

It has been proposed heretofore to insert articles into plastic bagtypereceptacles by means of reciprocal pushing mechanism prior to closingand heat-sealing the bags. An example of an operation of this type isillustrated in US. Pat. No. 3.339.338. Sept. 5. 1967.

In conjunction with such operations. it is desirable that a suitablequantity of articles to be packaged. should be positioned at aninjection station intermediate the receptacles and the pusher mechanism.While this can be accomplished manually. expensive labor costs may beencountered and it would render the packaging operation slow andtedious. Moreover. the high costs and increased size of complexmechanical devices for metering and positioning the articles has tendedto reduce the practicality of automating these operations.

Previously proposed packaging assemblies have additionally included amagazine for supporting a stack of plastic bags which are sequentiallyopened and filled. Such operations have utilized a stack of bags whichare closed at one end and open at the other. The bags are held togetherat their open end by a retaining clip. Stacks of this type may exhibitnon-uniform dimensions wherein the stack is thicker at the closed endthan at the open end. This non-uniformity may be initially compensatedfor by appropriately shaping the magazine table to properly orient thetopmost bag for being mechanically opened and filled. Gradual depletionof the stack. however. may result in uneven changes in stack dimensions.causing subsequently filled bags to be improperly oriented.

Another problem in the art has been the provision of a fully automatedapparatus which will fill receptacles effectively will articles and thenseal the filled package.

One object of this invention is to simplify and improve the constructionof an automated receptacle filling and sealing assembly to enable theassembly to be operated at high speed. and yet to be constructed at lesscost and with less complexity and to require a substantial reduction inoverall space for the use thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact article feedingmechanism which automatically meters a selected quantity of articles andinserts the articles into a receptacle such as a bag.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an article feedingoperation wherein the same structure functions both to meter thearticles and to insert them into the bags.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bag-supportingmagazine for carrying a non-uniformly shaped stack of bags whileautomatically compensating for uneven dimensional changes in the stackduring depletion thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide for automaticallytucking. sealing. and ejecting a package of articles.

At least some of these objects may be accomplished according to oneembodiment of the invention by providing an article packaging apparatuswhich includes a reciprocal article transfer mechanism. The articletransfer mechanism includes a supporting surface for underlying andsupporting a plurality of articles. packs. etc.. and a pushing surfacefor engaging and transferring articles to a receptacle. Means isprovided for shifting the supporting surface and the pushing surfacefrom beneath a selected quantity of the articles to be packaged.Consequently. the articles are displaced downwardly to a positionlocated between the pushing surface and the receptacle. Reciprocallyshifting the pushing surface in the opposite direction causes thepushing surface to engage and push the articles into the receptacle.

According to a further aspect of the invention. the article transfermechanism comprises two pairs of pusher arms. The peripheral surfaceportions of the pusher arms define the article supporting means in theform of two pairs of parallel guideways. The guideways are operable tosupport two continuous rows of articles. such as rolls of toilet paper.or packs of paper towels. napkins. and the like. as they aremechanically fed therealong. Terminal end walls on the arms define thepushing surfaces. A reciprocal piston is operably connected to thepusher arms to reciprocate the arms in one direction. causing a downwarddisplacement of the rolls or packs. and in the opposite directioneffecting an insertion of the articles into the package. A controlarrangement is provided for automatically initiating the actions of thepistion in response to appropriate orientation of the rolls or packs.

In another independently significant facet of invention, areceptacle-supporting magazine is provided for carrying a stack ofplastic bags. The magazine includes forward. and rearward sections forunderlying and carrying corresponding sections of the stack. Therearward section initially lies in a downwardly sloping posture toaccommodate the thicker stack at this end due to the folded over ends ofthe bags. Camming devices are provided for automatically varying theslope of the forward and rearward sections as the magazine table israised. In this manner. uneven dimensional variences of the stack duringits depletion tend to be compensated for such that the uppermost bag ofthe stack is kept in a generally horizontal orientation.

A bag-opening mechanism is provided and includes an air nozzle fordirecting a stream of air across the top of a bag. producing a vacuumover the bag. Consequently. the upper wall of the bag becomes liftedslightly. enabling the air stream to enter and inflate the bag. A pairof guide arms are pivotally mounted adjacent the bag in a manneroperable to be swung into the opened bag to maintain the bag in anopened posture and to serve as a guide for articles being inserted intothe bag.

In a further independently significant aspect of the invention. apackage sealing mechanism is provided for automatically tucking andsealing the end flaps of a filled bag and subsequently ejecting thepackage. The sealing'mechanism includes a shuttle plate for carrying apackage. Significantly. the shuttle plate is disposed such that thepackage may be transferred thereto by the pusher arms which are employedto insert the articles into the package. A tucker plate assembly and asealing jaw assembly are disposed adjacent the shuttle platesequentially to tuck-in and heat-seal the end flaps of the bag. Theshuttle plate is reciprocally arranged in amanner operable to move thesealed package clear of the tucker and sealing assemblies. In thisfashion, an ejector, extending transversely of the shuttle plate. mayengage and displace the package therefrom. A stop arm is provided forinitially positioning the package on the shuttle plate and foraccommodating movement of the package during the ejecting operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS This embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of a packaging machine showing thefeeding, bag-supporting, and sealing sections thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a package of rolls which has been formedand sealed according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the packaging machine;

FIG. 4 is a detail cross section through the machine, on the line 4-4 inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the sealing end of the packaging machine;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation at the feeding end thereof;

FIGS. 7 through 10 are top plan views of the apparatus, in schematicpresentation, illustrating the sequence of steps performed in the bagfilling operations thereof;

FIGS. II and 12 are partial top plan views illustrating diagrammaticallysteps performed during the sealing and ejecting of a package;

FIG. 13 is a detailed top plan view of an articleguiding portion of theapparatus;

FIG. 13a is a detailed side elevation, partly in section. showing anarticle retainer;

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-section of operating means for a pair ofbag-sealing jaws;

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-section, in detail, of a stack of bags beingheld by a retaining clip;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the bag-supportingmagazine;

FIG. 17 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the sealing sectionof the apparatus;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16 showing the bagsupporting table ina partially raised posture; and

FIGS. 19 through 23 are diagrammatic views, in side elevation,illustrating the sequence of steps performed in filling a package.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSURE The invention is described inconnection with the packaging of rolls of toilet tissue that are to beinserted in multiples, as two, four, six or eight, for example, in asuitable bag. An example of the completed package is illustrated in FIG.2, having eight rolls R enclosed within a transparent polyethylene bagB. The latter has a closed end E and an initially open filling end F. Informing the package, the lateral edges of the bag B are tucked in asindicated at T, and the free edges of the bag 8 are then broughttogether and sealed along a transverse line S. The steps ofaccomplishing this operation will be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is illustrated a packaging machinewhich generally comprises three basic sections, namely, a feed section10, a bag magazine section 12, and a bag sealing section 14. Thesesections are mounted on a base frame assembly 16 which interconnects thesections into an integral unit.

Article Feeding Mechanism The article feeding section includes a pair ofguide rails 18 fixedly secured to a pair of upper longitudinal frameelements 20 (FIG. 6), which comprise part of the frame assembly 16.Positioned on the guide rails 18 for travelling movement therealong is acarriage plate 24. The carriage plate 24 extends transversely across theupper frame elements 20 and is secured to the rails 18 by means ofdownwardly projecting bearing blocks 26. The bearing blocks 26 havelongitudinal openings therein to receive slidably the rails 18 (see FIG.6).

A power mechanism (FIG. 1) in the form of a cable cylinder unit 30 isprovided at one side of the machine for transmitting reciprocal movementto the carriage plate 24. The cable cylinder unit 30 comprises acylinder 32 which is attached to one of the frame elements 20 andincludes an internal reciprocal piston 34. Affixed to the piston 34 area pair of cables 36 and 38. Each cable has one end secured to one of thepiston 34 and another end attached to the carriage plate 24.Intermediate its ends, the cable 36 passes around a sheave 40. Insimilar fashion, the cable 38 extends from the piston 34 around a sheave42 spaced longitudinally at the opposite end of the machine. The cables36 and 38 are secured to the piston 34 in any suitable manner andslidably extend through opposite end walls of the cylinder 32.Appropriate packing structure may be provided to seal the openings inthe end walls through which the cables pass. The cables 36 and 38 areconnected to the carriage plate 24 by means of sleeves 44 and 46,respectively, which are attached to one of the bearing blocks 26 by abracket 48 (see FIG. 3).

The cylinder 32 is in communication with a source of compressed air (notshown), or other fluid under pressure, for selectively applying pressureto opposite sides of the piston 34. In this fashion, reciprocal movementmay be transmitted to the carriage plate 24 through the cables 36 and38.

Mounted on the carriage plate 24 are a series of four pusher rods orarms 50, 51, 52 and 53 arranged sideby-side in two pairs. The length ofthe pusher arms 50-53 will vary according to the number of rolls or thethickness of the articles, to be included in each package. The pusherarms are fixed to a pair of generally T- shaped blocks 56 and 58, therebeing two pusher arms attached to each block (see FIG. 6). The blocks 56and 58 are secured to the carriage plate 24 wherein the carriage plate24, the blocks 56 and 58 and the pusher arms 50-53 reciprocate as aunit. The pusher arms 50 and 51 are mounted on the block 56 in spaced,parallel relationship. The longitudinal peripheral surfaces of the arms50 and 51 serve as tracks to define supporting surfaces for underlyingand guiding a row of paper rolls R as shown in FIG. 6. The block 56 isappropriately recessed between the pusher arms 50 and 51 to accommodatethe curved bottoms of the rolls. The remaining pair of arms 52 and 53are connected to their block 58 in similar fashion to guide and supportan adjacently disposed row of rolls.

The pusher arms 50 53 also include terminal ends which form pushingsurfaces facing the bag magazine section 12. The pushing surfaces serveto insert the desired quantity of rolls R into a bag B as will bedescribed in detail.

The rolls are delivered to the pusher arms 50-53 by means of anappropriate conveyor mechanism, such as a belt conveyor or conveyors C(see FIG. 1). The rolls travel in parallel rows which slide alongguideways defined by the respective pairs of pusher arms.

The belt conveyor or conveyors C is continuously driven normally tendingto urge the rolls forwardly through frictional contact therewith unlessthe forward movement of the rolls is restrained. The rolls sit in theconveyor surface which is located sufficiently close to the pusher arms-53 that the arms of each pair will be iin embracing relation with thelower contour of the rolls in each line whereby each line of rolls willbe transferred smoothly from the conveyor surface to the pusher armsurfaces.

Attached to cross-frame members 57 and 59 of the frame assembly 16 aretwo sets of parallel guide rails 60, 61 and 63, which extend in a foreand aft direction. The guide rails -63 are shown as formed of angle barsand are disposed such that one rail of each set lies in an L-shapedposture and faces the other rail which lies in a reverse L-posture. Theguide rails of each set are spaced so as to accommodate reciprocalpassage of the pair of pusher arms therebetween. As will be explainedsubsequently, the guide rails 60-63 function to support a quantity ofrolls after the rolls have been displaced from the pusher arms.

Overlying the frame assembly 16 is a switching mechanism 64 (see FIGS. 1and 4). The switching mechanism 64 is secured to the frame assembly bymeans of an upstanding post 66 and an overhanging bracket 68, thebracket 66 being suitably secured to the post 66. The switchingmechanism 64 includes a pair of electrical limit switches 70 and 72. Theswitches are identically constructed. each being associated foroperation with a respective pair of pusher arms. The switches compriseelectrical switches 74 and 76 which include vertically reciprocalplungers 78 and 80. Suitable switches may be purchased under the nameMead Micro Line Valve MV-30P. The switches are actuated by a pair offingers 82 and 84 pivotally mounted on a common bar 86. The bar 86 isattached to the overhanging bracket 68 by means of a bearing fixture 88.The lower portions of the fingers 82 and 84 hang freely over theguideways defined by the respective pairs of pusher arms 50. 51 and 52,53. The upper portions of the fingers are configured such that pivotalmovement of the lower ends thereof, upon being engaged by rollstravelling on the pusher arms. causes the plungers 78 and to beprojected upwardly to actuate the switches 74 and 76.

Spaced from the limit switches 64 in a direction toward thearticlereceiving end of the machine is a stop assembly 90. The stopassembly 90 is attached to a post 92 which is upstanding on the frameassembly 16. A transverse plate 94 is secured to the post 92 andincludes two pairs of vertically spaced brackets 96, 98 and 100, 102.The pairs of brackets serve to mount vertically extending guide rods104, 106. A laterally extending beam 108 is mounted for vertical slidingmovement on the guide rods 104, 106 by suitably placed apertures. Apneumatic or other power cylinder 110 is fixed to the transverse plate94 and includes a downwardly extending reciprocal piston rod which issecured to the lateral beam 108.

Attached to the lateral beam 108 are a pair of fore and aft extendingbars 112 and 114. As shown in FIGS. 3, 8, 9 and 10, the bars 112, 114,overlie and extend parallel to the guideways defined by the pairs ofpusher arms 50, 51 and 52, 53. In this fashion. extension of thecylinder 110 causes these bars to be lowered toward rolls which may bepositioned therebelow as will be described in connection with FIGS. 19through 23. The bars also include stop plates 116 and 118 which aremounted at the ends thereof and extend in a lateral direction withrespect thereto. The stop plates 116, 118 function to hold back the lineof rolls and to separate the selected number of rolls to be packaged.

Suitably attached to the frame assembly 16 are a pair of fore and aftextending guide strips 120 and 122 (FIG. 13). These strips, togetherwith the guide rails 60 and 62 serve to underlie and support lines ofrolls after the pusher arms have been withdrawn therefrom.

Although the operation of the apparatus will be discussed later indetail, a brief explanation is presently in order. With the terminalends of the pusher arms 50-53 being disposed generally beneath theswitching mechanism 64, two rows of rolls R are pushed along the pusherarms by the conveyor C. When the forwardmost rolls contact and swing thefingers 82 and 84, the switches 74 and 76 will be activated, to causethe power cylinder 110 to operate and lower the bars 112 and 114. Thecable cylinder 30 will be operated also to shift the pusher armsrearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of rolls as in FIG. 20.These rolls will drop onto the guide rails 60-63 and the guide strips120 and 122 (see FIGS. 9, 20 and 21). Reciprocal shifting of the pusherarms in the reverse direction causes the terminal ends of the pusherarms, defining pushing surfaces. to contact and move the selectedquantity of rolls toward and into the bag B (see FIGS. 10 and 22).

If the packaging machine be used for flat articles. such as papernapkins, paper towels, or the like, the desired quantity thereof to beincluded in each package may be separated by an operator, to be movedforward by the feeding means into the bag in the magazine.

Bag Magazine Mechanism The bag magazine section 12. includes abag-carrying table assembly to support a stack of bags B(see FIGS. 1, 3,16 and 18). The overall configuration of the table assembly, as shown inFIG. 16, is such as to accommodate an irregularly-shaped stack ofcollapsed bags 8. The bags. made of polyurethane or other suitablematerial, are pre-formed so as to be open. or unsealed, at their one end(facing the feeding section) and closed at their other end. The closedend is preferably formed by folding over the end of each bag and sealingit in this condition. Thus, a stack of such bags is thickest at itsclosed end as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 16.

The unsealed end of each bag is formed in a manner such that the upperwall B of each bag terminates short ofthe lower wall B", as illustratedin FIG. 15. The walls B of all the bags are retained in position by aninverted U-shaped clip, or wicket 137. The clip 137 passes throughaligned apertures in the lower walls B" and is maintained in position bymeans of a retainer bracket 139. The retainer bracket 139 is suitablysecured to the frame assembly 16 and engages over the top of the clip ina conventionally known manner. As a result of this arrangement, thestack is of reduced thickness at the receiving end. Consequently, thetable assembly is initially disposed so as to accommodate the decreasedthickness ofthe stack. This tends to maintain the uppermost bag in agenerally horizontal position when ready to receive the contents.

More specifically. the magazine table section comprises a generallyhorizontal disposed support plate 138 mounted on a support bar 139,affixed to the rod end of an upstanding power cylinder 140. The cylinder140 is secured to the frame assembly 16 and communicates with a suitablesource of fluid under pressure (not shown) for raising and lowering thesupport plate 138.

At one end of the table support plate 138 is a hinge plate 142 which ispivotally connected at 144 to the support plate 138 for upward anddownward swinging movement with respect thereto. In this manner thehinge plate 142 accommodates the thick end of the stack, with theuppermost bag lying substantially horizontal.

In this connection. the hinge plate 142 is provided with a downwardlyslanted lever 156. Mounted on the frame assembly 16 adjacent the lever146 is a roller 158. As the support plate 138 is raised. the roller 158is positioned to be contacted by the lever 156. Thus.

the hinge plate is gradually shifted toward a horizontal or upwardlyinclined position as the stack is being depleted (see FIG. 18).

The support plate 138 is slotted at 145 (FIG. 3) to accommodate a pairof support fingers connected together by a cross-bar 150. The fingersare pivotally connected at 152 to a pair of cars 154 (see FIGS. 13 and16) which extend upwardly from the support plate 138. The fingers 146and the cross-bar 150 define a support for the receiving end of thestack. the bottom of which stack slopes upwardly with respect to thesupport plate to compensate for the reduced stack thickness at theopposite end in maintaining the uppermost bag horizontal.

It will be apparent that as bags are being filled and removed from thestack, the stack dimensions will change in a non-uniform manner. Thatis. the thickness of the closed end of the stack decreases as bags areremoved therefrom more than that of the filling end of the stack. Inuneven dimensional variances of the stack.

The fingers 146 are provided with levers 160 (only one shown in FIGS. 16and 18) which abut a cam shoulder 162 of the frame assembly 16 as thesupport plate 138 is lifted. This results in the fingers being graduallyshifted toward horizontal positions when the stack is substantiallydepleted.

The amount of incremental pivoting of the hinge plate 142 and of thefingers 146, is determined with a view toward maintaining the uppermostbag in a generally horizontal position for being properly opened andfilled.

Bag Opening Mechanism The packaging assembly further includes means forautomatically mechanically opening the bags B. In this connection. anair nozzle 170 is disposed on the frame assembly 16 between theinnermost ones of the guide rails 61 and 62, intermediate the switchingmechanism 64 and the tamper assembly 90 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The airnozzle 170 communicates with a source of air under high pressure and islocated remote from the magazine 12. In this illustrated embodiment, thenozzle is spaced about 3 roll lengths from the magazine. The axis of thejet opening is such as to direct a blast of air across the upper wall Bof the uppermost bag. as illustrated in FIG. 19 and spaced above theupper wall.

This produces a vacuum above the bag and causes the upper wall thereofto be lifted from the lower wall.

The jet of air is directed sufficiently above the bag so that its forcedoes not enter the bag. However. in order to fully open the bag afterthis top wall is raised by the vacuum of the air jet. a set of two guidewings 172 is provided. The guide wings comprise a pair of curved plateswhich are disposed at opposite sides of the frame assembly with theirconcave surfaces in generally facing relationship.

Each of the wings 172 for cylindrical articles. such as rolls of toilettissue. is made semi-cylindrical for proper guiding of the articles whenthe wings have spread the bag open. When the top layer of the bag israised somewhat with respect to the bottom layer, the wings 172 areoperated to enter the bag and expand it to receive the articles. Each ofthe wings 172 is provided on the back of the forward end positionthereof with a knob 174 on which the mouth of that bag engages. As shownin FIG. 13, the knob 174 is elongated and curved longitudinally. Themouth of the bag is stretched over these knobs 174 to facilitate holdingthe bag on the wings 172 and yet to allow the bag to be withdrawn bylengthwise pressure. The knobs 174 are below the center of the arc ofthe curved wings to avoid breaking the side seams of the bag.

Each guide wing 172 is mounted on a crank arrangement which enables theguide wings to be swung into and cut of the bags. The crank arrangementscomprise a pair of wing support arms 176 which are fixed to the upperends of shafts 180 rotatably mounted on the frame assembly 16 bybearings 182 (FIG. 6). Secured to the bottom ends of the shafts 180 arecrank arms 184 and 186. lnterconnecting the crank arms 184 and 186 is atorque-transmitting rod 188.

As shown in FIG. 13, the crank arm 186 is extended on opposite sides ofthe shaft 180, one end of which is connected with the rod 188 and theother end is connected to a pneumatic cylinder 190, which is providedwith a suitable source of gas or other fluid under pressure and isoperable to rotate the guide wings 172 toward and away from each otherand relative to the bag magazine section 12.

In a retracted condition of the cylinder 190, the guide wings 172 aredisposed in a rest position away from the bag magazine section, as shownin full lines in FIG. 13. When a bag B has been partially opened by thesuction on the top layer by the jet from the air nozzle 170, thecylinder 190 is extended. By means of the mechanical connection betweenthe cylinder and the guide wings, the latter are simultaneously swunginto the mouth of the bag to shape properly and to orient the theopening for reception of a quantity of rolls R. The guide wings 172 alsofunction to guide the rolls into the bag as they are forced by thepusher arms 50-53.

Sealing Mechanism As shown in FIG. 17, the sealing section 14 includes ashuttle plate 200 which is disposed in generally horizontal alignmentwith the top of the stack of bags B. In this fashion, the filledpackages may be pushed onto the shuttle plate 200 by the pusher arms50-53. Mounted adjacent the entrance end of the shuttle plate aretucking and sealing assemblies 202 and 204, respectively. (FIG. 1),which are sequentially operable to tuck-in and seal the open end of afilled package which has been transferred to the shuttle plate 200.

The tucker assembly comprises a pair of tucker arms or plates 206 (FIG.3), disposed on opposite sides of the shuttle plate 200 and areconnected to the rod ends of pneumatic cylinders 210. The cylinders 210communicated with a suitable source of fluid under pressure so as to beoperable to project the tucker plates 206 inwardly toward each other inproperly timed relation to the movement of the package. The tuckerplates are each provided with a pair of guide pins 2l4 slidably mountedin an upstanding bracket to insure that the tucker plates willreciprocate rectilinearly and be maintained in upstanding relation tofold the bag end as indicated at T in FIG. 2.

The sealing assembly 204 includes a pair of vertically spaced, laterallyextending lower and upper sealings jaws 222 and 224 (see FIGS. 3 and 5).The lower sealing jaw 222 is connected by an inverted U-shaped frameunit comprising a horizontal support 226 and downwardly extending legs228. Attached to the outside faces of the legs 228 are gear racks 230which are in mesh at each side with a pair of pinions 232.

The upper sealing jaw 224 is also connected to an inverted U-shapedframe which comprises a horizontal support 236 and downwardly extendinglegs 238. The legs 238 of the upper frame are arranged so as to straddlethe legs 228 of the lower frame. The inside faces of the legs 238 areprovided with gear racks 240 which are also in mesh with the oppositesides of the pinions 232 (FIG. 16). The legs 228 of the lower frame areconnected together by a bar 242 (FIG. 5). An upright power cylinder 244has its rod end operatively attached to the connecting bar 242 and is incommunication with a source of fluid under pressure so as to be operableto reciprocate vertically the lower sealing jaw 222. The upward movementof the lower sealing jaw 222 is transmitted by the rack and pinionmechanism 230, 232, and 240 to the upper jaw 224, wherein an equal, butoppositely directed, force is applied to the upper sealing jaw 224.Thus, when the cylinder 244 is extended. the sealing jaws convergetoward the end flaps of a bag to form the sealed lips S (FIG. 2); whenthe cylinder is retracted, the jaws open.

The sealing jaws 222 and 224 may be connected in a conventional mannerto an appropriate heating source to heat the pressure surface thereof.In operation, the jaws will be heated to a temperature great enough tosoften the plastic maerial of the bags.

When a filled package is deposited onto the shuttle plate 200 the endflaps of the bag extend within the vertical plane of movement of thesealing jaws 222, 224. The tucker plates 206 are then operated towardopposite edges of the package to tuck in the opposite sides of the openend. Then, the sealing jaws 222, 224, are operated to converge and tofuse together tge flaps of the bag and thus form the sealed lip S (FIG.2). A suitable suction assembly (not shown) may be provided for removingportions of the end flaps which have been severed during the sealingoperation.

In order to insure that the end flaps of the filled bag will extend intothe plane of the sealing jaws when the package is pushed onto theshuttle plate 200, the sealing suction includes a stop plate 250suspended in the path of the package in this shuttle plate (see FIG. 5).

The stop plate 250 is hinged at 251 to a support plate 252 mounted on across shaft 253. The stop plate 250 is yieldably retained in an uprightposition by one or more leaf springs 254 fixed at one end to the supportplate 252 and bearing on the back face of this stop plate. The crossshaft 253 is rotatably mounted in a bearing sleeve 255, attached to theframe assembly by means of a bracket 256. The stop plate is maintainedat a height sufficient to enable the closed end of a package to abutagainst the stop plate 250. The hinged support of the stop plate 250will maintain it yieldably in different vertical positions for differentangular positions of the support plate 252.

When a filled package is pushed onto the shuttle plate 200, the closedend of the package will abut the stop plate 250. The stop plate issituated such that the flaps of the unsealed end of the bag will liewithin the plane of the sealing jaws. Thus, the stop plate 250 providesa simple but effective means of properly orienting the package.

Once the package has been sealed, it is intended that it be ejectedlaterally from the machine. Prior to this, however, it is necessary thatthe sealed end of the bag be moved from out of the tucking assembly 202.In accomplishing this, the shuttle plate 200 is mounted on bearingblocks 262 and 264 (FIG. 17) at opposite sides. The bearing blocks arearranged to slide on a pair of rails 266 which are fastened to a fixedframe support 270. One of beanning blocks 264 is provided with alaterally extending projection 272. A coupling rod 274 is connectedbetween the projection 272 and a lever 275 which is attached to thecross shaft 253.

A crank arm 276 is also affixed at one end to the cross shaft 253 and toa power cylinder 278 at the other end. The power cylinder 278 is incommunication with a source of fluid under pressure for rotating thecross shaft 253.

With this arrangement, it is apparent that extension of the powercylinder 278 will rotate the lever 275 to transmit a sliding movement tothe shuttle plate 200. Consequently, a sealed package carried by theshuttle plate will be shifted away from the tucker and sealingassemblies.

An ejector mechanism may be provided if desired. In this embodiment Ihave shown an ejector mechanism. in the form of a plunger bar 280 (FIGS.1 and 3), attached to the rod end of a fixed pneumatic or other cylinder282. Extension of the cylinder 282 after a sealed package has been movedaway from the sealing and tucker assemblies causes the package to bepushed from the shuttle plate 200 and onto a ramp 284 (see FIG. 12). Theramp 284 is attached to the frame assembly l6 and may terminate adjacenta suitable conveyor or receptacle (not shown) where the sealed packagesare received or accumulated.

OPERATION In operation, the pusher arms 50-53 are initially disposedwith their terminal ends being generally disposed beneath the switchingmechanism 64, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 19. Two rows of rolls R arefed by the conveyor C onto the other ends of pusher arms. The rolls ineach row travel along a respective pair of pusher arms until the leadingrolls abut and rotate the cams 82 and 84 to actuate the switches 74 and76 (see FIG. 13). Actuation of the switches produces a signal whichoperates the cable cylinder 30 (FIG. 1) and the power cylinder of thestop assembly 90. In this manner, the pusher arms 50-53 are shiftedrearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of rolls and the stop bars112, 114 are then lowered into the path of the following rolls supportedin the retracted packer arm.

The number of rolls to be included in one package is dropped from theretracted pusher arms 50-53 onto the guide rails 60-63 and the guidestrips 120, 122 where they may be retained by yieldable holders 69 (FIG.13a) if desired. These holders are in the form of leaf springs having anintermediate lower area bearing upon the rolls R with the ends of thesprings secured to the bracket 68 and to a bracket 71 supported on theguide rails, and extending in bridging relation therebetween.

Actuation of the switches 74 and 76 also produces a signal whichactivates the bag-opening mechanism. Thus, a stream of air is emittedfrom the nozzle 170 in a line spaced above the top of the uppermost bag.The vacuum which is created thereby acts on and lifts the upper wall ofthe bag. The guide wings 172 are swung into the mouth of the bag by thepower cylinder 190, as illustrated in FIGS. and 21 and spread the mouthfully open. In this posture, the guide wings are in general alignmentwith the outermost guide rails 60 and 63 and assist in the supporting ofthe displaced rolls.

When the selected quantity of rolls R have been displaced from thepusher arms 50-53, the forward ends of the pushing arms will face theend ones of these selected rolls. At the end of the rearward stroke ofthe cable piston 34, the cable cylinder 30 is automatically actuated toreverse the movement of the pusher arms. The pushing surfaces of thearms 50-53 thus engage and push the rolls toward and into the open bag.During transfer of the rolls toward the bag, the rolls are supported andguided into the bag by the concave opposed faces of the guide wings 172.

Continued movement of the pusher arms, after the rolls have beeninserted into the bag, causes the lower wall B" (FIG. 15) of the bag tobe pulled from the wire clip 137. The filled package is then transferredonto the shuttle plate 200 of the sealing section 14 until it abuts thestop plate 250.

At this point, the pusher arms are automatically retracted to theirinitial position beneath the switching mechanism; the wings 172 areswung rearwardly to their rest position (full lines in FIG. 13); and thestop bars 112 and 114 are raised. With the stop bars no longerobstructing movement of the rolls located on the pusher arms, theserolls travel toward the switching mechanism under the influence of themoving conveyor C to begin a new packaging cycle.

Once the filled package is suitably situated on the shuttle plate 200,the power cylinders 210 are automatically operated to extend the tuckerplates 206 horizontally inwardly against the open end of the packagejust rearwardly of the rolls therein. The sides of the open end are thustucked in toward the center of the package end as indicated at T in FIG.2. At the same time, the power cylinder 244 is automatically expanded toclose the heated sealing jaws 222 and 224 against the bag end flaps. Thetop and bottom portions of the end flaps become fused together, forminga neat and compact seal, indicated .at S in FIG. 2. Waste portions ofthe end flaps which have been severed by the sealing jaws are suckedaway by a suitably disposed suction unit or by other suitable means.

Following the sealing operation, the tucker plates and sealing jaws areautomatically retracted to their rest positions. Subsequently, the powercylinder 278 automatically extends to shift the shuttle plate 200forwardly and move the sealed package clear of the tucker and sealingassemblies. The plunger bar 280 is then automatically extended by thecylinder 282 to push the sealed package onto the discharge ramp 284. Anyother suitable means may be used to remove the package.

With respect to the bag magazine section 12, it is noted that after abag has been filled and transferred from the stack, the cylinder isautomatically extended by a predetermined increment to position thetopmost bag in appropriate orientation for being filled. Upward movementof the support plate 138 (FIG. 16) causes the hinge plate 142 and thesupport fingers 156 to be rotated slightly due to engagement of thelevers 156 and 160, respectively, with the roller 158 and the shoulder162, respectively. This tends to compensate for the uneven dimensionalchanges in the stack which occur at the forward and rearward portions ofthe stack due to the removal of a bag. The topmost bag will thus besituated in a more clearly horizontal posture.

The several operations as described are controlled by electricallyoperated valves and switches, which are controlled in proper sequence bysuitable limit switches, the operation of which is well known in the artand need not be described in detail.

Although the invention has been discussed in connection with thepackaging of plural rows of articles, it will be understood that asingle row of one or more articles could be package in accordance withthe teachings of the invention. Moreover, articles of any convenientshape, other than cylindrical, may be packaged by merely adapting theconfigurationn of the various supporting surfaces to the shape of thearticles.

As will also be apparent from the foregiong description, this inventionprovides a compact assembly which automatically fills and seals apackage. Significantly, the assembly employs a reciprocal arm mechanismwhich operates to support a plurality of articles, displaces a selectedquantity thereof, inserts the selected articles into a bag, andtransfers the filled bag for sea]- ing. The bag-supporting magazineoperates to orient automatically the bags during depletion of the stackto assure that they will be opened effectively and filled. The sealingunit comprises a simple, yet effective assemblage of elements forautomatically sealing and ejecting a package.

While the article feeding section 10 (FIG. 1), the bag magazine section12, and the package sealing section 14 have been described in connectionwith a single packaging assembly, it will be understood that each ofthese sections contains independently significant features and may beseparately utilized with other forms of packaging devices.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in oneembodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be madetherein without departing from the invention set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding articles thereto,said article transfer means comprising: arm means mounted for horizontalreciprocal movement and including a supporting surface and a pushingsurface; conveyor means for advancing a continuous column of articleshorizontally along said supporting surface in the general direction ofsaid receptacle; power means for reciprocating said arm means; meansautomatically actuable in response to a predetermined advancement ofsaid column of articles on said supporting surface to: activate saidpower means for retracting said arm means rearwardly from beneath aselected quantity of said articles to cause said selected quantity ofarticles to be displaced downwardly, and activate said power means foradvancing said arm means forwardly subsequent to downward displacementof said selected quantity of articles to bring said pushing surface intopressure engagement with the rearwardmost one of said selected quantityof articles in a manner to effect forward movement of said selectedquantity of articles toward said receptacle, and

means movable into the path of the column of articles upon downwarddisplacement of said selected quantity thereof during the subsequentadvancement of the arm means to push the selected quantity of articlestoward the receptacle for stopping forward movement of said column.

2. An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding articles thereto,said article transfer means comprising: arm means mounted for horizontalreciprocal movement and including a supporting surface and a pushingsurface; conveyor means for advancing a continuous column of articleshorizontally along said supporting surface in the general direction ofsaid receptacle; power means for reciprocating said arm means; and meansautomatically actuable in response to a predetermined advancement ofsaid column of articles on said supporting surface to: activate saidpower means for retracting said arm means rearwardly from beneath aselected quantity of said articles to cause said selected quantity ofarticles to be displaced downwardly, and activate said power means foradvancing said arm means forwardly subsequent to downward displacementof said selected quantity of articles to bring said pushing surface intopressure engagement with the rearwardmost one of said selected quantityof articles in a manner to effect forward movement of said selectedquantity of articles toward said receptacle, said activating meanscomprising a member extending into the path of movement of saidcontinuous column of articles and being in position to be contacted andactuated thereby; and an arm movable toward the path of said continouscolumn for stopping forward movement thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said arm means comprises apair of spaced rods defining said supporting surface; said rods beingarranged to support spaced sides of a continuous column of articlesbeing advanced therealong.

4. A curved article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding curved articlesthereto, said article transfer means comprising: a pair of spacedparallel rods mounted for horizontal reciprocal movement, said rodshaving forwardly disposed pushing surface means; said rods beingarranged to support spaced sides of a column of curved articles;conveyor means for advancing a continuous column of curved articleshorizontally along said rods in the general direction of the receptacle;stop means for selectively preventing forward movement of saidcontinuous column of curved articles; first power means for retractingsaid rods rearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of said curvedarticles to cause said selected quantity of curved articles to bedisplaced downwardly, second power means for shifting said stop meansinto the path of travel of curved articles in said continuous columnlocated behind said selected quantity of curved articles to preventfurther advancement of said column; said first power means beingarranged to advance said rods forwardly subsequent to downwarddisplacement of said selected quantity of curved articles and subsequentto shifting of said stop means ahead of said column to bring saidpushing surface means into pressure engagement with the rearwardmost oneof said selected quantity of curved articles in a manner effectingforward movement of said selected quantity of curved articles toward thereceptacle.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 including control means having anactuating lever extending into the path of movement of said continuouscolumn of curved articles to be contacted and actuated thereby; saidcontrol means being operatively connected to sequentially activate saidfirst and second power means in response to being actuated by saidadvancing column.

6. An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding articles thereto,said article transfer means comprising: power-activated arm meansmounted for horizontal reciprocal movement and including a supportingsurface and a pushing surface; conveyor means for advancing a continuouscolumn of articles horizontally along said supporting surface in thegeneral direc tion of said receptacle; power-activated stop means forstopping forward movement of said continuous column of articles; andmeans for: activating said poweractivated arm means to retract said armmeans rearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of said articles tocause said selected quantity of articles to be displaced downwardly,activating said power-activated stop means to shift said stop means intothe path of travel of articles in said continuous column located behindsaid selected quantity of articles to prevent further advancement ofsaid column, and activating said pow er-activated arm means foradvancing said arm means forwardly subsequent to downward displacementof said selected quantity of articles to bring said pushing surface intopressure engagement with the rearward most one of said selected quantityof articles in a manner effecting forward movement of said.selectedquantity of articles toward the receptacle.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said arm means comprises apair of spaced rods, said rods defining said support surface; said rodsbeing arranged to support spaced sides of a continuous column of curvedarticles being advanced therealong.

8. An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding a selectedquantity of articles thereto, said article transfer means comprising:arm means mounted for reciprocal movement and including a supportingsurface operable to underlie and support the selected quantity ofarticles, and pushing means operable to ad vance the selected quantityof articles; means for feeding a plurality of articles in a column toand along said supporting surface; power means for reciprocating the armmeans rearwardly from beneath the selected quantity of articles causingthe selected quantity of articles to be displaced downwardly so as to beseparated from the remaining articles in said column, and for thenforwardly moving the pushing means into pressure rela tion with theselected quantity of articles; stop means mounted above the arm means;power means for shifting the stop means downwardly after separation ofthe selected quantity of articles to restrain movement of the remainingarticles in the column during further advancement of the selectedquantity of articles; and switching means including actuating meanstherefor extending into the path of movement of articles traveling alongthe arm means and being in position to be contacted and actuatedthereby; the switching means being operably connected to the respectivepower means for lowering the stop means and for reciprocating the armmeans;

9. An article packaging assembly according to claim 8 wherein: the armmeans comprises at least one pair of parallel rods; the outer peripheralsurface of the rods defining said supporting surfaces with forwardterminal ends on the rods defining said pushing means.

10. An article packaging assembly according to claim 9, including: acarriage mounted for reciprocal sliding movement; the rods beingattached to the carriage; a power cylinder including an operable piston;cable means operatively connected between the carriage and the pistonand being operable to transmit reciprocal motion of the piston to thecarriage.

11. An article packaging assembly according to claim 8, including asecond supporting surface in advanced position, with respect to thefirst-mentioned supporting surface and spaced at a lower elevation withrespect thereto to receive thereon the selected quantity of articlesupon rearward movement of the arm means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,877,562 .1 Dated April 15, 1975 Inventor(s) sse B. Smaw It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the Title Page, in item [75] the inventor's name "Jesse B. Shaw"should read Jesse B. Smaw Signed and Eacalcd this twenty-second D a) ofJuly 19 75 [SEAL] I Atrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner of Parentsand Trademark:

F ORM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTINGOFFICE:

1. An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding articles thereto,said article transfer means comprising: arm means mounted for horizontalreciprocal movement and including a supporting surface and a pushingsurface; conveyor means for advancing a continuous column of articleshorizontally along said supporting surface in the general direction ofsaid receptacle; power means for reciprocating said arm means; meansautomatically actuable in response to a predetermined advancement ofsaid column of articles on said supporting surface to: activate saidpower means for retracting said arm means rearwardly from beneath aselected quantity of said articles to cause said selected quantity ofarticles to be displaced downwardly, and activate said power means foradvancing said arm means forwardly subsequent to downward displacementof said selected quantity of articles to bring said pushing surface intopressure engagement with the rearwardmost one of said selected quantityof articles in a manner to effect forward movement of said selectedquantity of articles toward said receptacle, and means movable into thepath of the column of articles upon downward displacement of saidselected quantity thereof during the subsequent advancement of the armmeans to push the selected quantity Of articles toward the receptaclefor stopping forward movement of said column.
 2. An article packagingassembly including means for supporting a receptacle, and articletransfer means for forwarding articles thereto, said article transfermeans comprising: arm means mounted for horizontal reciprocal movementand including a supporting surface and a pushing surface; conveyor meansfor advancing a continuous column of articles horizontally along saidsupporting surface in the general direction of said receptacle; powermeans for reciprocating said arm means; and means automatically actuablein response to a predetermined advancement of said column of articles onsaid supporting surface to: activate said power means for retractingsaid arm means rearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of saidarticles to cause said selected quantity of articles to be displaceddownwardly, and activate said power means for advancing said arm meansforwardly subsequent to downward displacement of said selected quantityof articles to bring said pushing surface into pressure engagement withthe rearwardmost one of said selected quantity of articles in a mannerto effect forward movement of said selected quantity of articles towardsaid receptacle, said activating means comprising a member extendinginto the path of movement of said continuous column of articles andbeing in position to be contacted and actuated thereby; and an armmovable toward the path of said continous column for stopping forwardmovement thereof.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said armmeans comprises a pair of spaced rods defining said supporting surface;said rods being arranged to support spaced sides of a continuous columnof articles being advanced therealong.
 4. A curved article packagingassembly including means for supporting a receptacle, and articletransfer means for forwarding curved articles thereto, said articletransfer means comprising: a pair of spaced parallel rods mounted forhorizontal reciprocal movement, said rods having forwardly disposedpushing surface means; said rods being arranged to support spaced sidesof a column of curved articles; conveyor means for advancing acontinuous column of curved articles horizontally along said rods in thegeneral direction of the receptacle; stop means for selectivelypreventing forward movement of said continuous column of curvedarticles; first power means for retracting said rods rearwardly frombeneath a selected quantity of said curved articles to cause saidselected quantity of curved articles to be displaced downwardly, secondpower means for shifting said stop means into the path of travel ofcurved articles in said continuous column located behind said selectedquantity of curved articles to prevent further advancement of saidcolumn; said first power means being arranged to advance said rodsforwardly subsequent to downward displacement of said selected quantityof curved articles and subsequent to shifting of said stop means aheadof said column to bring said pushing surface means into pressureengagement with the rearwardmost one of said selected quantity of curvedarticles in a manner effecting forward movement of said selectedquantity of curved articles toward the receptacle.
 5. Apparatusaccording to claim 4 including control means having an actuating leverextending into the path of movement of said continuous column of curvedarticles to be contacted and actuated thereby; said control means beingoperatively connected to sequentially activate said first and secondpower means in response to being actuated by said advancing column. 6.An article packaging assembly including means for supporting areceptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding articles thereto,said article transfer means comprising: power-activated arm meansmounted for horizontal reciprocal movement and including a supportingsurface and a pushing surface; conveyor means for advancing a continuouscolumn of articles horizontally along saiD supporting surface in thegeneral direction of said receptacle; power-activated stop means forstopping forward movement of said continuous column of articles; andmeans for: activating said power-activated arm means to retract said armmeans rearwardly from beneath a selected quantity of said articles tocause said selected quantity of articles to be displaced downwardly,activating said power-activated stop means to shift said stop means intothe path of travel of articles in said continuous column located behindsaid selected quantity of articles to prevent further advancement ofsaid column, and activating said power-activated arm means for advancingsaid arm means forwardly subsequent to downward displacement of saidselected quantity of articles to bring said pushing surface intopressure engagement with the rearwardmost one of said selected quantityof articles in a manner effecting forward movement of said selectedquantity of articles toward the receptacle.
 7. Apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein said arm means comprises a pair of spaced rods, saidrods defining said support surface; said rods being arranged to supportspaced sides of a continuous column of curved articles being advancedtherealong.
 8. An article packaging assembly including means forsupporting a receptacle, and article transfer means for forwarding aselected quantity of articles thereto, said article transfer meanscomprising: arm means mounted for reciprocal movement and including asupporting surface operable to underlie and support the selectedquantity of articles, and pushing means operable to advance the selectedquantity of articles; means for feeding a plurality of articles in acolumn to and along said supporting surface; power means forreciprocating the arm means rearwardly from beneath the selectedquantity of articles causing the selected quantity of articles to bedisplaced downwardly so as to be separated from the remaining articlesin said column, and for then forwardly moving the pushing means intopressure relation with the selected quantity of articles; stop meansmounted above the arm means; power means for shifting the stop meansdownwardly after separation of the selected quantity of articles torestrain movement of the remaining articles in the column during furtheradvancement of the selected quantity of articles; and switching meansincluding actuating means therefor extending into the path of movementof articles traveling along the arm means and being in position to becontacted and actuated thereby; the switching means being operablyconnected to the respective power means for lowering the stop means andfor reciprocating the arm means.
 9. An article packaging assemblyaccording to claim 8 wherein: the arm means comprises at least one pairof parallel rods; the outer peripheral surface of the rods defining saidsupporting surfaces with forward terminal ends on the rods defining saidpushing means.
 10. An article packaging assembly according to claim 9,including: a carriage mounted for reciprocal sliding movement; the rodsbeing attached to the carriage; a power cylinder including an operablepiston; cable means operatively connected between the carriage and thepiston and being operable to transmit reciprocal motion of the piston tothe carriage.
 11. An article packaging assembly according to claim 8,including a second supporting surface in advanced position, with respectto the first-mentioned supporting surface and spaced at a lowerelevation with respect thereto to receive thereon the selected quantityof articles upon rearward movement of the arm means.